sweet treats

Back in June, Hydee of Splish Splash Stash had a giveaway to celebrate her birthday and her new Juki {!!!!}  I entered, and she sent me the cutest FQ lollipops!



Henna Garden will forever be one of my favorite prints, so I was super happy to receive a colorway not already in my stash :)   Aqua & icy blue are my current color crushes - I still haven't put these away with the rest of the stash so I can admire them every time I sew!

Thank you Hydee! the lollipops are fantastic! :)

edited to add this link to Hydee's tutorial for making your fabric lollipops {click here}

linking up to Sunday Stash @ Finding Fifth

Sunday Stash

First of all, I need to apologize for being so late in posting today.  I misjudged when I needed to have my post ready so that it would be up and ready for Sunday morning in other time zones.  I do hope those of you who have been waiting can forgive me.

Welcome to Sunday Stash!  Fiona at Finding Fifth has been gracious enough to let me host this week



Lately, I've been jumping from project to project, fabric to fabric.  Normally, I would find that a bit unsettling, but now I find it peaceful to move from one stack of fabric to another, then back again.

These are the fabrics that have had my attention this week.  Not new, they have been in my stash for some time.  I've decided to piece a simple quilt of rectangles from them, and have actually started cutting already.  There were a couple more prints than these, but they are in a neat little stack of 3.5" x 6.5" rectangles now. 

My favorite fabric of the bunch is the fabulous plaid in the top right corner.  I adore a good plaid, and I think this one is one of my two all time favorites.

{the fabrics in the photo are DS Fabrics for Joanns}
it's your turn - link up your stash below :)

fabric on my mind

There is a stack of fabric that has been in my stash for a long while, and which has lately been on my mind.  I decided to take it out and show you today.



At one point in time I planned to make a pine burr quilt with these fabrics.  That design is still on my 'someday' list, but I've decided to do make something else with these fabrics for donation quilts.

I did a quick search and didn't come up with anything exactly like the design I know as pine burr, but here are the closest I found here, here and here.

The fabric across the top of the first picture turns from pink to orange to yellow back to orange and then pink from selvedge to selvedge.  There is enough of it for backing.



I don't have a plan yet.  I need to make a quilt that finishes approx. 44" x 58".  Do you have any suggestions of what I should make with these?

Linking up to Sunday Stash #65

Charming

This little stack of pretties is winging it's way to Cindy of Fluffy Sheep Quilting.  Most will travel on, to happy new homes.  I wonder what exciting, crafty plans await them?  One of them will return, with 55 new friends.  A rainbow of possibilities :) 

Linking up with Sunday Stash

*Thank you, thank you, thank you Mom for cutting my charm squares for me after I hurt my right hand!

A Little Retail Therapy

Yesterday I went down to Manchester, NH for a day out with my SIL & Mom.  Kid-free time in a quilty environment with a good dose of retail therapy was just what we needed  :)

I didn't bring my camera, but I can tell you that the two big trends in the quilts on display were rhinestones and naked men.  I don't think either one will be showing up in my own work anytime soon ;)

I was super happily surprised to see Sew Fresh Fabrics had a booth at the show!  Sew Fresh Fabrics is one of my fav online shops, so I was excited to peruse their selection in person!  I managed to contain myself, and resisted the urge to jump up and down and squeal 'I love your shop!' to the lovely ladies in the booth, but it took all my self control.  Which explains the strawberries and chocolate Mississippi Mud cake I had for dinner :)

These two prints were a great find for my lobster fabric collection.  Maybe this summer I will finally put them all in a quilt?

Aren't these little Japanese Kitties the cutest? 

But the one purchase I'm most excited about is my little Sashiko kit.  The design was pre-marked on the fabric, and will wash out when I'm finished.  Perhaps I will make this into a small pillow, with the kitties for the fabric on the back  :)

{click here to learn more about Sashiko}

I'm linking up with Sunday Stash! :)

Sunday Stashing - I love the Grinch!

My Black Friday loot came in the mail!  whoo hoo! I snapped up these five How the Grinch Stole Christmas prints plus the panel from the second Grinch collection from Fat Quarter Shop.  These are going to be so much fun to sew with! :)

Oh Deer! is one of those collections that I just love to pieces {except the pink bits.  I don't like pink much}.  For now, these tiny deer prints are all the fabrics I have from this collection.  Maybe I'll stash a few more another day {the dots are fantastic, don't you think?}.  That print on the far right is from Me & My Sister Designs, and the color wasn't anything like I expected!  This photo doesn't show the color accurately - the orange is a little too neon for my tastes.  And the print is a little too beige-ish.  Oh well, that is going to happen sometimes when ordering fabric online :)

These are the two charm packs of Alpine Wonderland I'm giving away, so technically I haven't stashed them, but that doesn't mean I can't admire them while they are here, right? :)

You can find the linky party here!  {along with everything you need to know if you want to make this fabric yours!}  There are some great Christmas decorations linked up already, click on over to add yours!

One more thing I'm super excited about - I made a button! whoo hoo!  Grab it and stick it in your blog sidebar for another chance to win the Alpine Wonderland charm packs :)

*Please leave a comment on the linky party page to let me know you grabbed my button!*  

I'm linking up to Sunday Stash @ Finding Fifth! 

PS - Did you notice my blog header?  {!!!}  I'm so excited to have a header! {I was getting tired of blogging topless}

So Maybe I Started Something New....

Have you come up for air from the Black Friday & Cyber Monday sales yet?  I might have gone a little crazy :)

In my defense, most of what I bought is for the kids' crafting.  And the sales were so goooood, how could I resist a little fabric too? hehehe

I don't have any pictures of my booty purchases to share yet because the fabric is winging its' way through the mail as we speak, and the craft supplies are for something I will share in a couple of days.

But that doesn't mean I'm going to leave you hanging with no pretty fabric goodness at all ;)

Best thing about my trimmings bowl {aside from my Mom bought it for me}: when I'm done cutting for the day, an overflowing bowl reminds me how much progress I've made, even though at this stage of the game it doesn't feel like much has been done.

This is what my Madrona Road FQs look like now :)  Big squares are 5", littles are 2.5"
It got a little crazy towards the end of sewing for the craft fairs, frantically trying to get enough inventory made while still serving up three square meals a day and all that.  I promised myself that if I stuck with it, I would spend Black Friday cutting up my Madrona Road FQs.  I spent more time cleaning {and shopping!} than I had planned, so it actually took me 5 days, but that is a whole 80" square quilt cut up and stacked in the palm of my hand!

This is the conversation I had with my 7 year old while I was cutting the last of the FQs today {keep in mind he is constantly moving around my cutting table and doing his own 'sewing' while talking}:

Mr 7: Am I old enough to use a rotary cutter? {picks up his sewing, he needs me to thread the needle}
Me: no
Mr. 7: why do you use a rotary cutter instead of scissors?  {hands me needle to be rethreaded}
Me: {rethreading needle before going back to cutting} because it's faster
Mr. 7: {now sitting on a still-folded & wobbly step stool in the narrow space between my cutting table and the large window, still sewing}  you're going to cut your finger off
Me: no I'm not {while thinking 'yes I am'} {repeat needle threading}
Mr 7: {looks down at the carpet} Oops, I dropped the needle
Me: please just get out of there!

No wonder it takes me so long to cut fabric :)
How about you - did you score any great fabric deals?
When Wednesday morning rolls around, I'll be linking up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced!

George Washington slept in my fabric closet...

Well, not really, but I do have this great fabric in my stash.  I bought a yard of it to use as part of a backing for this quilt top



which is far from done, but I wanted to snatch up some George before he was gone :)  I want to have this quilt done for next Fourth of July, so I need to get busy on it this winter.  The next step is going to be tricky, but if it comes out like I envision, it is going to look fabulous {I'm making it up as I go along with this top}

I also won a charm pack of Amy Butler Dots from Such a Sew and Sew and The Fat Quarter Shop! {thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!} I already have plans for these dots, but it will have to wait awhile.  there are several projects ahead of it in line :)

i'm linking up to Sunday Stash @ Blossom Heart Quilts.  What have you stashed lately?

taking care of business

 

Well, my FNSI wasn't as productive as I hoped it would be.  Still, I did sew some.  And I have new fabric to show.

 

 

These are nearly-done plastic grocery bag holders.  They were nearly-done before FNSI, but now they are a little bit more nearly-done.

 

 

Charm packs of Dear Mr. Claus by Cosmo Cricket & Joy by Kate Spain.  Squishy fabric mail makes me so happy, I had the package opened, and the first charm pack too, before I thought about pictures.  The fabrics in both of these are lovely, but I am a bit disappointed the Cosmo Cricket didn't include squares of the Santa Claus print that is part of this collection.  Sorry for the Icky night time photo.

 

 

Here are the charm squares, all opened up

 

 

and ironed in halves.  I'll be back to tell you more about what I'm up to, but right now I need to go finish getting ready for the hurricane/tropical storm that is going to hit us tomorrow.  Power outages are expected, I just hope my road doesn't wash away {that has happened a couple times, both above us and below us, leaving us housebound for a few days}

 

Happy sewing everybody, and stay safe in whatever weather you are experiencing! :)

I'm linking up to Sunday Stash

quick, before the penguins are replaced!

I did a little more stashing recently :)   the two prints on the left are my favs from Aneela Hoey's Sew Stitchy.  I was pleasantly surprised to find them in a LQS.

The penguin fabric is from Joanns, and is for a penguin quilt for my youngest.  It has been a WIP for a little too long.  The other day he announced that he is thinking of changing his favorite animal from penguins to sea cucumbers.  This quilt needs to be finished before he loses interest.

I am not making a sea cucumber quilt.

{fyi, sea cucumbers spit out their guts when bothered by a predator, which then eats the guts and leaves the sea cucumber alone to grow new guts.  I'm fairly certain this explains his fascination with sea cucumbers.}

Linking up to Sunday Stash @ Finding Fifth :)

happy squishy mail

Firstly, thanks to everyone for chiming in to help me decide which way to hang my quilt! :)
Mr. Random Number Generator helped me pick a winner for the mystery prize, Cindy of Tops to Treasures! 

Our family has a couple different viruses working their way through right now, so I'll do a proper Fair/giveaway winner update post in a couple days. 

But there is nothing like some fabric mail to cheer me up!

I've had some birthday money burning a whole in my pocket, so when Madrona Road was the sale-of-the-week over at  fresh squeezed fabrics, I scooped up this FQ bundle!  I love every print in this line, even the pink ones :)  {as a rule, I don't much care for pink}

Since there were two prints not included in this bundle, I placed an order with Sew Fresh Fabrics

The two prints on the left complete my Madrona Road collection - the other two are Dots in Grey from Fly Away by Amy Schimier & Put a Lid on It in charcoal from Retro Kitchen.  I needed to bolster my stash of greys :)

I'm going to link up at Sunday Stash, which is being held at Quiet Play this week.

chaos on my table

hello! :)

I just thought I'd share a glimpse of what my sewing table looks like right now

my two main focuses are spread out all over the place.  the squares everywhere are part of a postage stamp style quilt I'm making for my father {shhh! don't tell him}  I have joined a swap over at The Curious Quilter for 2.5" charm squares to bolster the variety of my own stash.  even with some repeats, there is going to be somewhere around 1,600 different fabrics in this quilt when it is done.  I love getting these little treasures in the mail! :) 

The other piece I'm working on is my slow progress EPP hexies - made even slower when I sew pieces on backwards :) 

On the plus side, I now have an entry for Allegory's new flickr group :)

I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday & checking out what everyone else is working on :)

chocolate chip cookies, hexies, and the delayed toad effect

I grew up with an older brother.  He did all the usual older brother stuff, including daring me to kiss a toad & then gleefully announcing I was going to get warts.  Let me tell you, I was some relieved when that didn't happen.

What I didn't know then was apparently the toads have a delayed effect, which I'm just now experiencing.  On the bottoms of my feet.  The treatment for which is very very painful.

Since walking is laughably out of the question, I've been spending a lot of time on the couch watching tv with a stack of chocolate chip cookies, a glass of milk, and some fabric to comfort me.  :)
These fabrics, in fact:

The orange dot is DS for Joann's.  The rest are fat quarters that came in a bundle, and not all of them have selvedge edges, but I think there is some It's a Hoot by Momo, AMH innocent crush, and the coffee beans & cups are metro cafe.

But there is one fabric I'd know from a mile away, one I've been hunting for.  Can you see it tucked in there with the rest, looking inconspicuous & all?

Pumpkin Henna Garden!!!!!!!

And yes, I did buy a whole stack of FQs just to get it.  It was totally worth it :)
I have big plans for that PHG, so I set it aside, but the rest have become EPP hexies!

this is my first foray into hexies, and I'm really enjoying it :)
I plan on bringing my hexies to a few parties to show them off, and I'll update this post when I do.
OK, one more reason I love blogland - you can attend some great parties without getting up off the couch and leaving your cookies behind :)  {and birthday cake.  did I mention there is a ton of birthday cake around here?}

WIP wednesday

The Handmade Parade @ there and Back

Save the Date & fabric

Some days, you are lucky I just type at you instead of talking to you :) 
I have a nasty head cold that is making me sound like Darth Vader when I breathe.  A very sneezey Darth Vader, hehe

Want to see my free Japanese fabric? 

These are all remnants, long skinny strips, leftover from making home dec iteams.  The lady who makes the home dec iteams saw the sign welcoming quilters to the retreat I was at, and left off garbage bags full of these remnants for the quilters to take :)



I'm hosting TGIFF this Friday!  What do you say, meet me back here to link up your finishes?  I'm quilting a top to show you.  In between perfecting my Darth Vader impersonation :)

just a little bit more...

Hi! Happy Friday! {I am sooo glad its Friday!!!}

Ok, now that I've got that out of the way,  I have just a couple more pictures to show you from my retreat.

On the last day, they have a show & tell

Pardon the table in the way, but this is a quilt top my Mom made at the retreat.  Isn't it pretty?  I kept dropping hints that this quilt would like living with me, but my Mom did a good job of ignoring me :)   That boarder fabric is soooo much prettier in person than in the photo.  Apparently it is also prettier when it is on Mom's sewing table {where I first fell in love with it} than on the bolt, too, because Mom claims she bought it with me standing next to her, and I never paid it any attention at all.  She is probably right. {just don't tell her I said so}

My crabby zig zags are so long, they took up a table and a half! The blocks aren't sewn together, though, so seam allowances will shrink it up some.  I'm making my quilt bigger than Amanda Jean's directions call for.  That's my basic philosophy on quilts.  Always make it bigger.  :)

 A sweet older lady stopped to admire my crabs and asked how big my quilt is going to be.  I said I don't know.  Because I don't.  {Why do people find that strange?}  I'm making a zig zag for each fabric in the line, plus some repeats of the bottle caps, plaid, and orange crabs.  Wouldn't it be funny if it ended up wider than long?  :) 

There is a small quilt shop set up at the retreat, also.  They stock all sorts of notions, patterns, books, fabric by the yard or FQ.  I was determined to resist. 

The perle cotton was my downfall :)

Two shades of grey, orange, and yellow came home with me - I want to try hand quilting with them.
I also came home with free fabric, but I haven't taken pictures yet, so I'll show you that later.  Have a fabulous, stitchy, weekend!!!

I'm back!

Did you miss me?  hehe, I didn't make a fuss about when I was leaving for quilt retreat, because it just didn't seem wise to advertise that my house would be empty.  I left Thursday morning and returned Sunday afternoon, and I've been running around playing catch-up ever since :) 

Oh, I almost forgot, Happy Mother's Day! {ok, so I'm a little late...}

So, about that retreat :)  I went to Purity Spring Resort in NH. My Mom and two of my Aunts stayed for the full week {I'm so jealous!} and I joined them Thursday.  They saved me a good seat by the windows, so I gave them some pink penguin fabric baskets to help keep the tables organised :)

There are directions for a couple mystery quilts made available to attendees, but I just sewed on my own projects. 'Cause I need another WIP like I need a hole in the head. {some of you know what I'm talking about, right?}

(If you aren't familiar with mystery quilts, basically you get fabric requirements in advance and follow the directions without knowing what the finished design will be until you are done - I'm too much of a control freak to find that fun :) }

The views were spectacular

There were Canadian Geese with babies, beaver, heron, and Loons in the lake.  At night we could hear the loons calling if we left our windows open.  There is a small flower garden by the dining room windows that attracts butterflies and a feeder for the hummingbirds, which is a nice treat for me because I can kill any plant in record time.  Anything in my yard has to be a hardy survivor :)

There were canoes & kayaks, a swimming pool, a massage therapist...

and so much food I don't think I ate for two days after I got home!  Between fabulous meals they keep you well supplied with coffee, tea, and pastries etc.

{do I sound like an infomercial yet? I promise I'm not being paid to promote this place - they really are just awesome}

And yeah, some quilting happened, too :)

I cut into my Going Coastal {love love love this fabric!} using Amanda Jean's Zigzag quilt pattern

I've got more to show & tell, but I'll save it for another post.  Meanwhile, my crabs and I are heading over to WIP Wednesday to see what everyone else is doing...

a little of this, a little of that

My Mom, Aunts, and a couple friends of theirs get together to sew from time to time at a beach house that belongs to one of the ladies.  Last weekend they invited me, too!  {If it hadn't been rainy and grey, I'd have taken a picture of the ocean view for you - it is fabulous!}

Anyway, with a whole weekend of kid-free sewing time, you'd think I would have lots to show you, right?  I wish, but my seam ripper saw a lot of action this weekend.  And I had to leave for a few hours because the boys went fishing with their Dad, who got a lure stuck in his finger and couldn't find his health insurance card.  I had to bring him mine so he could go get the lure cut out of his finger.  {I think Dad made sure the first fishing trip of the year was a memorable one!}

Most of my progress isn't photo worthy yet. 

I did finish another Pink Penguin fabric bucket {I love making these!}  My Aunts oohed & ahhhed over this little bucket, which made me so happy because my secret plan is to make them and my Mom each one for the quilting retreat we will be going on together.  Won't they be perfect for holding small sewing tools on the table?

I think fabric ariving in the mail is one of life's greatest pleasures, don't you?  :)
I ordered an assortment of Kona Cotton from Hankocks-Paduccah recently.

These are destined for various projects, but don't they look lovely together?  Left to right they are: Mango, Lemon, Burgundy, Zucchini, Honey Dew, Clover, Kiwi, Pear, Jade, Teal, Blue {ok, after reading all the other creative names, the simplicity of this one gives me the giggles.  Yes, I know I'm easily amused.}  Peacock, Windsor Blue, & Snow. 

I really love that they labled each cut of fabric - by hand even.  Somebody hand wrote lables to help make my life easier  :)
I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday & TGIFF @ Quilt Monster in my closet - head over to check out what everyone is up to!